Folding crate.



Patented Mar. I2, |904.

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l(frm Modem SMITH B. GILLETTE, OF GENEVA, OHIO.

FOLDING CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 669,631, dated March12, 1901.

Applicationjiled January 21, 1901. Serial No. 44,177. (No model.)

To L'ZZ whom it may concern.-

Beitknown that LSMTH B.G1LLETTE,a citizen of the Unit-ed States ofAmerica,and a residentof Geneva, Ashtabula county, Ohio,have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Folding Crates, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention'relates to folding crates; and it consists in the newconstruction and combination of the parts comprising the improvements,whereby simplicity, compactness, and facility for folding and unfoldingare made very easily and quickly attained. There are no separable andremovable parts liable to be misplaced ,or lost.

The nature of and manner of manipulating the invention will fully appearfrom the subjoined description when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective View of mynew Afolding crate opened up ready for use. Fig. 2 is a perspective viewof the same, showing it partly closed Fig. 3 is a perspective view ofthe same entirely closed, showing its compactness and small compass.Fig. 4 is a strip of metal attached to the ends of the side slats foruniting and protecting them.

A represents the bottom of the crate formed of slats joined at theirends to stronger crosspieces A A.

B B are the sides of the crate, also formed i of slats joined at theirends with the flanged metal strips b b. These sides are hinged to theside slats of the bottom by Wires coiled together to form the hinges CC. The middle Wires are placed across the bottom and secured thereto bystaples c c. The hinges of one of the sides are made alittle higher fromthe bottom for the purpose of having that side lie flat upon the otherwhen the crate is folded. The end wires forming said hinges are alsosecured to the slats of Ithe sides B B in the same manner. Thus theWires serve to join and strengthen the sides and bottom as well as makethe hinges.

D D are the ends of the crate, made of slats joined at their ends withstrong end pieces d cl. These ends are also joined to the crosspieces A'A by means of Wire hinges E E.

F F are bars pivotally attached to the insides of the top slats of theends D D and are designed for locking the sides and ends of the crate inplace opened up, as seen in Fig. l, by the ends of said bars bearingagainst the inner ends of the top slats of the sides, as shown at ff,Fig. l.

p p are pins or staples on the inside faces of the end pieces d (l,which when the ends and sides of the crate are upright and in contactcatch in against the inner edges of the metal strips b b, and therebyhold the ends D D in place and prevent said ends from being pushed orfalling outward, as seen at e e, Fig. 1. The spaces between the twoupper slats of the ends D D are made open enough to allow the insertionof the fingers of rthe hands of the user, thus making the upper slatsand bars serve as handles for carrying the crate.

The manner of setting up the crate is as follows: The folded crate, asseen in Fig. 3, is locked together by turning the ends of the bars F Fin under the top slats of the ends D D, as seen in the slanting lines inthe middle top of Fig. 3. The folded crate needs no other means forholding it folded. To set up the crate, the said bars F F are turnedunder their respective slats. This unlocks the ends D D, which may thenbe turned upward into the position approximately seen in Fig. 2. Thenthe sides B B are turned into the upright position and the ends D Dclosed against the ends of the sides, and the bars F F are turned downinto place and the crate is set up ready for use.

It will be seen that this makes a very simple, cheap, and durable cratecapable of being readily folded and secured in compact form.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- The improved foldingcrate consisting of bottom A having end cross-pieces A', sides B Bhaving metal end pieces b b, Wire hinges O O uniting the side slats andattaching them to the bottom, the ends D D having end pieces d d and thepins p, Wire hinges E E, attaching the ends to the cross-pieces A' Ar ofthe bottom, and the pivoted bars F F, on the ends D D, adapted forlocking the ends to the sides, when the crate is set up, and forsecuring the crate when in the folded position, substantially asdescribed.

Signed by me at Cleveland, Ohio, this 11th day of January, 1901.

SMITH B. GILLETTE.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. TIBBITTS, CHARLES L. STOCKER.

IOO

